Quick detachable backfill blade for trencher



1966 G. E. MALZAHN ETAL 3,

QUICK DETAGHABLE BACKFILL BLADE FOR TRENGHER Filed Oct. 24, 1963 Gus E. Ma/zahn James R. Gaflscha/k Kennefh M. .Schuermann 1N VEN TOR S.

% BY WW 3M United States Patent 3,233,350 QUICK DETACHABLE BACKFILL BLADE FOR TRENCHER Gus E. Maizahn, James R. Gottschalk, and Kenneth W.

Schuermann, Perry, Okla, assignors to The Charles Machine Works Inc., Perry, Okla., a corporation of Oklahoma Filed Oct. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 318,626 6 Claims. (Cl. 37-144) This invention comprises a novel and useful detachable backfill blade for trencher and more particularly pertains to an earthworking blade attachment particularly adapted for use in such mobile earthworking vehicles as trench excavating machines and the like.

In trench excavating machines it is desirable to provide a power operated means for filling the trenches after they have served their purpose. In the interest of economy the same apparatus which excavate the trenches could advantageously be employed as a machine to fill the trenches.

It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide a backfill blade having mounting means whereby the blade may be easily applied to or removed from its mounting upon any suitable vehicle and particularly a trenching machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment in accordance with the foregoing object which may be readily applied to an earth excavating machine of the chain excavator type whereby it may be mounted upon the machine at the opposite end thereof from the excavating chain.

A further object of the invention is to provide a backfill blade attachment in accordance with the foregoing objects which shall be capable of being adjustably angled relative to the line of travel of the machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device in accordance with the preceding objects which shall permit of ready lateral adjustability of the blade with respect to the line of travel.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a support means for maintaining the blade in an upright position upon the ground when it is detached from its support structure to thereby facilitate the application of the blade to or its removal from the support structure upon the machine.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide a device in accordance with the foregoing objects wherein power operated means are provided for vertically adjusting the blade and its mounting upon the frame structure of the carrying vehicle and for adjusting the angular disposition of the blade with respect to its line of travel.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference. being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, Wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the front portion of a mobile power ditching machine and the backfill blade attachment of this invention removed therefrom;

FIGURE 2 is a view upon an enlarged scale and in top plan with parts broken away of the backfill blade attachment of this invention and its mounting;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical transverse sectional detail view upon an enlarged scale substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and,

FIGURE 4 is a further detail view upon a still further Patented Feb. 8, 1966 enlarged scale taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

The backfill blade attachment of this invention consists of an earthworking blade of the scraper type together with a support structure carried by the chassis frame of a vehicle and a mounting structure by which the blade is detachably secured to the support structure. For convenience of illustration, the blade attachment of this invention has been shown as applied to a trenching machine of the type now available upon the market such as the well known Model K3 or V4 Ditch Witch manufactured by the Charles Machine Works, Inc., of Perry, Oklahoma, although the basic principles of this invention are not limited to use of the attachment with this particular apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 10 designates generally the mobile trencher or ditching machine of the type above mentioned, with the present invention being detachably mounted upon the opposite end thereof from the end upon which the power driven trencher chain is mounted. The blade attachment of this invention includes a support means mounted upon the chassis frame 12 of the apparatus and which may conveniently comprise a suitably rigidly mounted and braced vertically disposed hydraulic cylinder unit 14 having a vertically movable piston 16 disposed therein and projecting therebeneath and which carries the attachment for vertical adjustment. Inasmuch as the hydraulic operating mechanism of the apparatus is of any conventional design, and the principles of the blade attachment set forth and claimed hereinafter are not limited to any particular operating means, a further description thereof is deemed to be unnecessary. It sufficies for an understanding of the invention to note that the piston element 16 has fixedly secured at its lower end as by welding a horizontally extending support or beam 18. The latter is preferably L-shaped in cross section including a vertical wall 20 together with a horizontal bottom wall 22. Adjacent one end of the support 18 the vertical wall 20 is provided with a rearwardly extending lug 24 and a pivot pin 26 extends through this lug and the bottom wall 22 to provide a pivotal connection for a fluid pressure actuating cylinder and piston assembly 28 suitably secured to the vehicle chassis 12 and likewise operated by the above mentioned hydraulic operating system. By appropriate operation of the unit 28, it is evident that the support 18 may be swung horizontally about the vertical axis of the cylinder and piston support means 14, 16 to thus vary the angular relationship of the support and of the earth moving blade carried thereby in a manner to be subsequently set forth. Further, raising the piston 16 by operation of the hydraulic cylinder 14 will effect lifting of lowering of the blade as may be necessary.

With continuing reference to FIGURE 1 in conjunction with FIGURE 4, it will be observed that there is provided an earthworking blade 30 of a conventional shape and contour. This blade is adapted to be removably secured to the support 18 by securing means to be now described.

This securing means comprises a horizontally extending hanger indicated generally by the numeral 32 and which includes a horizontal rearwardly projecting plate 34 having at its rearward end a downturned flange 36. The plate and flange are disposed somewhat above the midportion of the height of the blade 30 and provide a pocketwhich as shown clearly in FIGURE 4 is adapted to receive therein the upper end of the vertical wall 20 of the support 18. The hanger thus constitutes an elongated pocket by which the blade is hung upon and is supported by gravity upon the vertical wall 20.

The support means further includes an L-shaped member consisting of a vertical wall 38 whose upper end is secured as by welding 40 to the back side of the blade 30 and whose lower end is provided with a rearwardly extending horizontal plate 42. The latter is provided with a plurality of apertures, longitudinally spaced there along as at 44 and a pair of fasteners such as the pins 46 extend through tubular bosses 48 projecting upwardly from the support horizontal wall 22 through selected apertures 44 in the plate 42 to thereby anchor the blade upon the support structure in laterally adjusted position there along. In this manner, the position of the blade can be adjusted laterally with respect to the line of movement of the apparatus, while the means 28 adjust the inclination of the blade with respect to this line of movement.

At its rearward edge, the horizontal wall 42 is provided with a downturned flange as at 50 which cooperates with a shoe 52 secured to the underside of the blade and which thus serves to engage the ground and support the blade in order to enable the latter to be disconnected from the support structure of the vehicle and to be reconnected thereto as may be desired.

In operation, in order to mount the blade upon the support structure of the vehicle, it is merely necessary, with the blade supported by its flange 50 and shoe 52 upon the ground, to lower the piston 16 of the support structure until the upper edge of the vertical wall 20 thereof is disposed below the hanger 32. When the hanger has been engaged upon the upper edge of the vertical wall 20, the latter is lifted and under the influence of gravity the blade swings in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 4 about the upper edge of the vertical wall 20 until the horizontal wall 42 underlies and engages the horizontal wall 22 of the support and the vertical wall 38 constituting a pressure or thrust plate abuts against the vertical wall 20 of the support structure. The two pins 46 are then inserted in the aligned apertures consisting of the tubular bosses 48 carried by the Wall 22 and selected apertures 44 of the horizontal wall 42.

The device can be as easily removed from the support structure.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A blade attachment for an earthworking vehicle having a chassis frame and comprising a horizontal support adapted to be mounted upon said chassis frame and extending transversely of the vehicle line of travel, an earth moving blade, mounting means releasably connecting said blade to said support, said support having a vertical wall, said mounting means comprising a hanger bracket secured to the rear face of said blade and having a downwardly opening pocket receiving therein the upper edge of said vertical wall for supporting said blade solely by gravity thereon, fastening means releasably securing said blade to said support, said support comprising an elongated member of L-shaped cross section having a horizontal rearwardly projecting wall on the lower edge of said vertical wall, said mounting means further including a horizontal, rearwardly projecting plate on the rear face of said blade positioned to lie beneath and engage the bottom surface of said horizontal wall, the upper surface of said plate being formed of an uninterrupted generally horizontal surface throughout its entirety, said fastening means including pins engaged in registering apertures of said horizontal wall and horizontal plate.

2. A blade attachment for an earthworking vehicle having a chassis frame and comprising a horizontal support adapted to be mounted upon said chassis frame and extending transversely of the vehicle line of travel, an earth moving blade, mounting means releasably connecting said blade to said support, said support having a vertical wall, said mounting means comprising a hanger bracket secured to the rear face of said blade and having a downwardly opening pocket receiving therein the upper edge of said vertical wall for supporting said blade solely by gravity thereon, fastening means releasably securing said blade to said support, said support comprising an elongated member of L-shaped cross section having a horizontal rearwardly projecting wall on the lower edge of said vertical wall, said mounting means further including a horizontal, rearwardly projecting plate on the rear face of said blade positioned to lie beneath and engage the bottom surface of said horizontal wall, the upper surface of said plate being formed of an uninterrupted generally horizontal surface throughout its entirety, said fastening means including pins engaged in registering apertures of said horizontal wall and horizontal plate, said mounting means further including an abutment plate mounted upon the rear face of said blade below said hanger bracket and having a face-to-face abutting engagement with said vertical wall.

3. The combination of claim 2 including a shoe on the lower edge of said blade, a depending flange on the rearward edge of said horizontal plate cooperating with said shoe for maintaining said blade in an erect position upon the ground when detached from said support.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said apertures on said horizontal wall comprise vertically extending tubular bosses.

5. A blade attachment for an earth working vehicle having a chassis frame and comprising a horizontal support adapted to be mounted upon said chassis frame and extending transversely of the vehicle while in travel, an earth moving blade, mounting means releasably connecting said blade to said support, said support having a vertical wall and a generally horizontal wall, said mounting means comprising a hanger bracket secured to the rear face of said blade and having a downwardly open pocket therein said mounting means further including a horizontal rearwardly extending plate on the rear face of said blade, the upper surface of said plate having an uninterrupted, generally horizontal surface throughout its entirety, the upper edge of said vertical wall being received in said pocket whereby said mounting means and said blade are supported solely by gravity on said vertical wall, said plate underlying said horizontal wall, and pin means releasably extending through registering apertures in said plate and said horizontal wall.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said mounting means further includes an abutment plate mounted upon the rear face of said blade below said hanger bracket, said abutment plate adapted to be positioned in face-toface abutting engagement with said vertical wall when said upper edge of said vertical wall is received in said pocket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,565,337 8/1951 Allan 37144 2,651,121 9/1953 Shannon 37-42 2,838,858 6/1958 Conrad 37-145 2,935,802 5/1960 WVolfe ct al 172273 3,002,300 10/1961 Turbyfill 37l44 ABMHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

JOE O. BOLT, Assistant Examiner. 

5. A BLADE ATTACHMENT FOR AN EARTH WORKING VEHICLE HAVING A CHASSIS FRAME AND COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL SUPPORT ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED UPON SAID CHASSIS FRAME AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE VEHICLE WHILE IN TRAVEL, AN EARTH MOVING BLADE, MOUNTING MEANS RELEASABLY CONNECTING SAID BLADE TO SAID SUPPORT, SAID SUPPORT HAVING A VERTICAL WALL AND A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL WALL, SAID MOUNTING MEANS COMPRISING A HANGER BRACKET SECURED TO THE REAR FACE OF SAID BLADE AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY OPEN POCKET THEREIN SAID MOUNTING MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL REARWARDLY EXTENDING PLATE ON THE REAR FACE OF SAID BLADE, THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PLATE HAVING AN UNINTERRUPTED, GENERALLY HORIZONTAL SURFACE THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRETY, THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID VERTICAL WALL BEING RECEIVED IN SAID POCKET WHEREBY SAID MOUNTING MEANS AND SAID BLADE ARE SUPPORTED SOLELY BY GRAVITY ON SAID VERTICAL WALL, SAID PLATE UNDERLYING SAID HORIZONTAL WALL, AND PIN MEANS RELEASABLY EXTENDING THROUGH REGISTERING APERTURES IN SAID PLATE SAID HORIZONTAL WALL. 